By Michaela Gordoni
“If you want this cheese, you got to get two degrees,” DINERS, DRIVE-INS, AND DIVES star Guy Fieri tells his kids.
“Everybody’s taking me to the bank on this one,” the TV show host told Business Insider this week.
Fieri’s eldest child, Hunter, will graduate with an MBA next month at the University of Miami; his nephew, Jules, who he’s raised since 2011, recently graduated with a law degree from Loyola Marymount University. His youngest, Ryder, just started college last year.
“Poor Ryder is just finishing his freshman year at San Diego State University,” Fieri said of the 19-year-old. “The boys rib him all the time. They’re like: ‘You know, we’re done. You still have to go finish college and go get your postgraduate.'”
“He’s like: ‘Dad, come on, give me a break. How about if I get great grades the whole time?'” Fieri said.
Ryder may think it unfair, but Fieri is just looking out for his kids, like his dad did for him.
“It’s a thing that my dad said to me when I was a kid. He said, ‘When I die, I’m leaving you nothing except a funeral bill,'” Fieri said. “It’s a joke because my dad already gave me everything.”
“My dad gave me an education. My dad gave me awareness. My dad gave me the tools of life,” he said. “It was very clear at a very young age that I was going to have to go make it on my own.”
He assured that his boys know their dad will be there for them when they need him.
“But I told them: ‘You’ve got to go do this. You’ve got to go stake your claim and go figure out what you’re going to do,’” he said.
Fieri has been wealthy for many years, currently with a $100 million net worth, according to Parade. Despite his wealth, he didn’t spoil the boys.
“Hunter went to a private school, and all the kids at his school drove Range Rovers, Corvettes, Mercedes, and here’s Hunter in a 1990 green Chevy pickup,” Fieri recalled.
Hunter saved up for a new truck by washing dishes at one of his dad’s restaurants. Once Ryder could drive, the pickup went to him.
“By the time Ryder got his license and needed something to drive, the green truck’s dead,” Fieri said. “So Ryder is positioning and said, ‘Maybe I could drive one of your trucks.'”
No chance.
“We bring everybody together for Ryder’s 16th birthday, and we give him the key,” Fieri said. “He hits the button, and it’s my parents’ old champagne-colored minivan.”
“Ryder said: ‘No way. There’s no way I’m driving that,'” Fieri recalled. “And I said, ‘Then ride your bike.'”
Now, Ryder works for his college’s basketball team, and Hunter works with Fieri on several food-related shows.
Related: Guy Fieri Says ‘Family Is Always The First Priority’
Fieri is looking forward to celebrating Jules and Hunter’s accomplishments with a summer trip.
“The whole family, we’re all going to Italy!” Fieri said.
On Feb. 15, Fieri and Ryder went to watch the NBA All-Star games. Fieri shared a photo of himself with his son next to the court. “@nbaallstar with my best friend!! Our favorite! #familyfirst” he captioned it.
In January, Hunter gave Fieri a kind birthday tribute on Instagram.
He told his dad, “Happy Birthday Pops! Thank you for being an amazing father, leader, and best friend! Looking forward to another great year together. Love you dad ❤️ Cheers!”
Read Next: Guy Fieri Talks Instilling Work Ethic in His Children: ‘On Their Way’
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